SEED_Haiti is an environmental and humanitarian solution for providing relief housing with the adaptive reuse of surplus ISO shipping containers which in time turn into permanent homes. This solution uses the many shipping containers that are already in Haiti and the large number of shipping containers that are being sent to Haiti with relief supplies. With thousands of containers arriving to Haiti. SEED_Haiti worked on a strong incentive package to get the surplus of containers donated from the shipping industry for homes in Haiti rather than storing them or transporting them empty.
Key elements of the SEED_Haiti Design
The containers with their unibody construction of Cor-Ten steel, are not only hurricane and earthquake proof, they are also fire, mold, and vandalism proof. The design is able to seal back up in the case of another natural disaster protecting a family’s valuable possessions so that when they return home they are not starting from scratch again.
The SEED design transforms a 40’ shipping container into a home with a minimum amount of effort. The container is cut with readily available equipment and utilizes low impact foundation technology to lift the home off the ground for ventilation and protect from flood. It is also covered with a secondary roof to keep the home cool. It is a low cost emergency solution. Incentives should be given to shipping companies to donate their surplus containers in Port-au-Prince and arriving containers with relief supplies.
The SEED home is equipped with 2 low cost pallet sized “pods” (water pod and energy pod) that meet the basic needs of access to drinking water, human sanitation and food preparation. These elements are a micro infrastructure that provides self sufficiency a key element for place that has lost all infrastructure.
